Borders teenager Lili Mundell a splash hit three times over at swimming championships

Swimmer Lili Mundell with her gold medals in Aberdeen

Borders swimmer Lili Mundell proved to be a splash hit at the treble at Scottish Swimming’s latest national age-group championships.

The Clovenfords 13-year-old, representing both Gala and Heart of Midlothian amateur swimming clubs in the 11-to-13 age group at Aberdeen Sports Village, won gold medals in the 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley.

Lili, a pupil at Edinburgh’s Mary Erskine School, was also presented with the Sharp Trophy for best 200m individual medley swim in her age bracket, clocking 2:35.54, as well as winning a silver medal in the 200m backstroke with 2:35.80 and a bronze one in the 400m freestyle with 4:57.45.

Her other winning times were 1:03.05 for the 100m freestyle and 2:17.87 over 200m.

Those times qualify her for an international meet being held in Glasgow at the end of May and the Scottish national open championships in July and she’s looking forward to competing at those events, she says.

That success took Lili aback a bit, admits the teenager, making it all the more welcome.

“It was a surprise,” she told us. “I knew I was ranked well in the 100m free but I thought I might not be able to improve my times.

“I was excited to make the final in all eight events but I was very nervous before each race. I kept my head down and kept kicking.”

Lili wasn’t the only member of the Galashiels club to bring medals back to the Borders either, with Amy Owenson picking up a bronze in the 50m breaststroke for girls of 16 with 34.26.